Posts Tagged ‘Home’

The hardest day of all is the day you zip shut the suitcase for the last time.

We headed out very early (we were on a bus for the airport at 7:30 a.m.) and got to Heathrow with plenty of time to get checked in and through security before our gate was even announced. We hugged Roxy farewell (Mandi’s flight was later, so she took a separate, later bus) and sat down to our last English breakfast. We had managed our cash usage pretty carefully, so we’d be out of British currency just before we left. But, with “ones” being coins, it is almost inevitable that you end up with pockets full of jingly coins after very few transactions. So, we solved that problem by paying for breakfast with coins! I’m not sure if the restaurant folks loved us or hated us!

By the time we finished eating we knew what gate to head to, and by the time we traversed hallways, and people movers, and escalators and elevators and a tram, our flight was boarding when we arrived. The giant maze of jetbridges was amusing, and of course, the seats were small and storage was at a premium, but we were on board and headed home.

At that point, I have no defense mechanism against the sad, except to focus solely on the good things on the other end of the flight: good friends many of whom are chosen family, the cat and the dog, and high on the list–our incredibly comfortable mattress! I had already cried during the drive south from Scotland, and leaving London isn’t quite as hard, but still … Texas is never our favorite destination.

We watched a couple of movies on the flight, had a couple of mediocre meals, read a bit–all those things you do to attempt to make the miserable time pass. I am most decidedly NOT a British Airways fan. All in all it was, at least, an uneventful flight (just the way you want them to be) and our pass through customs and border security was, as well. The biggest hitch was a sizeable delay in luggage showing up at the carousel, but our dear Scott waited patiently for us, and delivered us straight to our favorite Tex Mex restaurant!

A couple of margaritas and some enchiladas and suddenly Texas is a whole lot more palatable. So, here we are … back in the Lone Star State. Bring on 2016!

One more weekend of faire. One more week to get ready for a faire weekend. This is the last “Monday” of faire . . . next week we’re open on Memorial Day Monday, so the whole Monday thing happens on Tuesday.

Seven weekends in, and we’re exhausted—so this Monday was going to be hard for me, anyway. Add to that, Kyle not feeling very well, and getting permission to work from home. Not home sick, mind you — working from home. So, I had to be mindful of his space and try to leave him alone. That’s so hard for me. When he’s with me, I want to be with him! So, when he works from home I usually try to pretend he’s not really here. 😉

I love having Kyle at home, and if times stay tough, companies would be wise to encourage more of their folks who have jobs that can be performed from anywhere, to stay at home—saving energy in the office, saving the environment, and saving gasoline. It translates to a higher quality of life for folks who would no longer have to fight traffic on their commute, and it represents a raise in pay for folks no longer having to spend so much on fuel and auto mainenance. Happier employees all-around. And, in an economic climate where pay increases are unheard of, and layoffs are a constant threat, it seems to me to be a no-brainer. <sigh>

Today, it was harder to pretend Kyle wasn’t here, though. I wasn’t feeling very good, either. And, in fact, we spent much of the day in the same room—hard to ignore your beloved when he’s in the chair next to you! I hope I didn’t distract too much.

I got a lot of work done—computer stuff, product orders, and laundry! Never left the house, though, so the errands will have to happen tomorrow. We got caught up on some TV watching in the evening—Desperate Housewives was a bit edgy—at least the season cliffhanger ending came after the life and death situation was resolved!

Today’s photo . . . the many colours of our laundry! I’m not really proud of how messy the space looks, but I liked the colours.

2 August 2008
Saturday. Marita Beth is in Wisconsin and I…I spent my Saturday working. I met with Terrill and the crew out at the airport where we were finalising and implementing a long-awaited completion of a project. The only unfortunate things were the HEAT and the fact that it was a Saturday. Normally, I’d have spent my Saturday in the cool of a movie theatre or perhaps at No Frills playing trivia with friends…in air conditioning. But, this Saturday I spent sweating my arse off in the outdoors, where even in the shade, the temperature was nigh-unbearable. By the time we were sure the implementation was going to go well enough, I was pretty well spent. By the time I’d driven home I was completely spent and holed myself up in the house for the remainder of the day. But, I did manage a photo or two. This is the sheer that hangs over the French doors to the backyard. A much thicker, heavier curtain hangs over the sheer to prevent heat & light leakage, but I realised as I let the dogs out that an appropriate focal length might just make a good photo. I wasn’t so wrong.
Today, I will go play trivia with friends.
Cheers.